Does it matter what you study?

The subject that helps you most in your career might not be the one you'd expect. In this activity you'll hear from three people whose most useful learning came from somewhere surprising.

This activity is designed to be flexible and can be used as follows:

  • During a lesson - 30 minutes. Students work in pairs and then share their reflections with the rest of the class.
  • During tutor time - 20 minutes. Students watch the videos independently and then discuss the topics together.
  • As homework - Students watch the videos on their own and complete the reflections at their own pace.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • PSHE Association KS3 codes L1, L6, L7
  • PSHE Association KS4 codes L1, L4
  • Gatsby Benchmark 5

1. Before you start

Think about the following:

  • If someone told you the subject that would help you most in your future career isn't the one you'd expect, what would you guess it might be?
  • Have you ever learned something useful in a lesson you thought had nothing to do with what you wanted to do?

If you're working with a partner or team, share and compare your thoughts before continuing.

2. Watch the videos

Watch the following section for each video:

  • How did your education help along the way?
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Joanna Bagniewska - Zoologist

Joanna is a zoologist at Oxford University who studies mammals, insects, and urban wildlife. You might expect biology to have been her most important subject - but she says it was history.

While watching the video, listen for the following:

  • What did Joanna's history teacher teach her that she still uses in her work as a scientist?
  • Why did she find school biology uninspiring?
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Tim Atkin - Aviation Safety Investigator

Tim is a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force who investigates aviation incidents. He studied sports rehabilitation at university - a subject with almost nothing in common with what he does now.

While watching the video, listen for the following:

  • What skills from sports rehabilitation does Tim say he uses in his investigation work?
  • What does Tim say about how skills transfer across different careers?
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Stephanie Holt - Ecologist & Historian

Stephanie is an ecologist at the Natural History Museum in London and a historian doing her doctorate at Oxford. She didn't do biology A-level - she did geography instead.

While watching the video, listen for the following:

  • What was it about geography that helped Stephanie more than biology would have?
  • Which teachers does she say made the biggest difference?

3. Reflect and discuss

First, add a personal reflection for each video based on the following:

  • What surprised you most about which subject or skill turned out to be the most useful?

Next, compare what you noticed across all three videos and discuss with your partner or group:

  • Joanna says history taught her to question where information comes from. Tim says sports rehabilitation taught him communication and problem-solving. Stephanie says geography taught her how landscapes and people connect. What do these three examples have in common about how learning actually works?
  • Two of these three people work in science - but neither found school science the most helpful. Why do you think that is? What does it tell you about the difference between a subject's content and the skills it develops?
  • If the subject that helps you most might not be the most obvious one, how should that change the way you think about choosing what to study? Does it mean every subject matters equally, or something else?